Love is Strange
by TStabler
Summary: Valentine's Day falls onto Manhattan like an anvil, and strange things happen. Confessions, secrets, break-ups, surprises, and romance. It's all right here. E/O and other pairings in this ONE SHOT SERIES! Now until 2/14
1. Love is Unexpected

**A/N: It's February! You know that means Valentine's Fictiems! Here is the first in the short series, and I hope it gets you in a mushy, gushy mood!**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler©**

She clipped her badge to her hip, staring down at the white teddy bear on the end-table. She shook her head as she read the writing on the big, read heart it held in its paws. Though she knew she loved it, she'd never admit it. She stuck her fingers into the heart-shaped box of chocolates, picking one up and popping it into her mouth.

She rolled her eyes and moaned as it melted on her tongue, and she chewed as she remembered hitting the man who had given her the treats over the head with the box the night before.

She sighed and swallowed, then grabbed her gun and walked out of her door. There was a case with her name on it, and today of all days she needed the distraction.

She was stopped by her doorman on her way out of her building, and she was given a card with a dozen yellow roses. She rolled her eyes and thanked him, but handed the flowers back. "Send them upstairs for me, I'm running late," she said, pushing through her door.

She was halfway down the block when his car pulled up alongside of her. She looked at him, shook her head with a chuckle, and kept walking.

"Liv," he said, "Get in the car, it's freezing and it's snowing, and you're gonna fall on your ass in those boots."

She smirked. "I can run a mile on inch-thick ice in these shoes, it's not that cold, and I'm not gonna melt in the snow," she said. "Flowers. Nice touch."

"I thought so," he said. "Come on, just...just get in the car, baby."

She snapped her head. "Don't call me that," she said, her voice serious.

"Okay, Detective Benson, get in the fucking car," he snapped back.

She stopped walking.

He stopped the car.

She sighed and walked around, getting into the passenger seat. "This doesn't mean I forgive you," she said.

He smirked and lifted a cup out of one of the holders and handed it to her. "That might change your mind."

She raised an eyebrow, taking the cup. "You didn't," she said, tilting her head.

"I did," he told her, nodding as he took his foot off of the brake. He watched her face as she lifted the cup to her lips and sipped. He saw her eyes roll as she licked her lips. "Fuck, that's sexy."

She nodded. "Sexy hot chocolate," she said. "You should call it that when you bottle and sell this stuff."

"Liv, I...last night...I wasn't trying to push you into anything," he said, stopping at a red light. "I thought...I thought it would be a cute way to tell you how I felt. The night before Valentine's Day, we were in your place alone, it was dark, it was..."

"You told me that you..." She paused, sipped her hot chocolate, and said, "You gave me chocolates, and a teddy bear, and a skimpy red thing that I think even Pamela Anderson would be embarrassed to wear, and then you told me that you..." she stopped again. She shook her head and said, "You're married. You're my partner."

"The sky is blue, cows give milk, I like eggs," he said, snarky. "Are we gonna spend all day just stating the obvious or are you gonna tell me you love me, too?"

She looked out the window and took a big gulp of the chocolate drink. "I can't tell you that."

He pulled into the spot he always parked in, in front of the station, and he tilted his head as he looked at her. "Because you don't," he assumed.

She looked at him. "Because you are my married partner, and that is seven kinds of wrong!"

"Only seven, huh?" He sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Liv, you know things with Kathy have been shitty, I haven't been home in weeks. I was trying to tell you last night...the divorce is gonna be final in a few weeks. We went through with it this time."

She was quiet, then she opened the door and got out of the car.

"Liv, damn it!" he hissed, yanking the keys out of the ignition and chasing after her. He stopped her, grabbing her arm, and pulled her toward him. "Tell me," he demanded. "If you can look me in the eyes, on Valentine's Day no less, and tell me you don't love me, and you don't wanna give this a shot, then I'll stop trying." He held her gaze and took a breath. "But if you can't, then tell me you're sorry for freaking out on me last night, and tell me you do love me, and let me kiss you. In the snow. On Valentine's Day."

She felt her heart pounding, her hands were shaking and she couldn't blame the cold because she was still holding her hot chocolate. "I...I'm sorry I hit you with the chocolate." She took a shallow breath and tried to blink, but she found herself paralyzed by his stare. "I'm sorry I yelled at you for fucking with me, but I honestly thought you were jok..."

"I wasn't," he interrupted, shaking his head. "I would never joke about my feelings for you. Not like that." He leaned toward her and he whispered, "Tell me you love me."

She felt goosebumps rise, she felt him wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I can't kiss you if you don't say it," he whispered, his breath hot against her cold skin.

She closed her eyes, trying to form the words. She couldn't say it. She had never said it, not to anyone that mattered, and she wasn't sure she knew how. "El, I...you're my best friend."

"Okay," he said, barely grazing his lips over her chin, "And?"

"And," she began, "You're my partner. You mean...you mean everything to me, but I..." She swallowed hard.

He ran his lips lightly over her forehead. "Say it," he whispered.

She whimpered, she dropped her cup and the snow that cushioned its fall melted into a puddle of milk brown. She shivered in his arms. "I love you," she uttered, whisper-quiet and in a rush.

He smirked, dragging his lips down her left temple, over her cheek, resting them just on the very edge of her lips. "Louder," he whispered. "I want to hear you say it, baby."

"I love you," she said, loud and clear.

He could feel her lips moving against his, that's how close they were, and he bridged the tiny gap and sealed their mouths together.

Her arms looped around his neck, and the shaking stopped. She let his tongue creep into her mouth, and she let the warmth from his body consume her. She moaned, just loud enough to egg him on, and she felt his hands travel down her body, cup her ass, and squeeze. She moaned a little louder.

He laughed against her lips, knowing she was enjoying the kiss as much as she was, she wanted it as much as he did, and she wasn't going to stop until he did. Knowing anyone could be watching, and knowing they were already late for work, he reluctantly pulled away from her.

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, just observing what they were seeing floating around in them. Slowly, they both smiled. He brushed her hair back and said, "You love me."

She rolled her eyes and started walking toward the station door. "You say it like it's a miracle or something."

"It is," he said.

She stopped at his words, and she turned around, her brows scrunched together.

He walked toward her, taking the three steps to bring them face-to-face. "I don't know how, or when, but I know why I fell in love with you. The fact that you were able to see passed everything that's wrong with me, and love me back, it's a fucking miracle."

She smiled at him, and she said, "You keep saying that."

"What?" he asked, tilting his head a little in confusion.

"That you love me," she said, shaking her head. "Those words come out of your mouth so easily, like you don't know how much weight they really have. How much those words change things."

"They're just words," he said, taking her hand. "The real weight is in the feelings. The real change happens with what you feel, not what you say. Even if you never say it, but you feel it, it still…"

"I love you," she cut him off, spitting out the phrase. "It…that feels…saying it to you after all this time, it was like…"

"A weight being lifted off of your shoulders," he finished with a nod. "I felt it last night. Ya know, until you hit me in the head with the chocolate I gave you. Then the weight all kinda fell right back."

She laughed, biting her lip. "I'm so sorry about that," she said. "I really didn't believe you, I thought you were teasing me because I hate Valentine's Day."

"It's not so bad," he said, smirking, leaning in to kiss her again.

Their lips met, and the snow continued to fall around them, and she grinned against his lips. No, she thought. Valentine's Day wasn't bad at all.

**A/N: A bit of fluff to start off the series. Hope you feel the love! If you have any Valentine's Day requests…you have until the 13****th**** to get them to me! Twitter: TMG212**


	2. Love Bites

**A/N: Sometimes people need to have things pointed out to them, even though they're quite obvious. And it hurts so good.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. Tstabler © own this story.**

It had been six months. Six months of waiting, wanting, wishing, hoping. Six months of wondering if she'd imagined the flirting and hinting around that he had feelings for her that went beyond partner, beyond friend.

Six months since he had come in without a ring on his finger, declaring himself single for the first time since high school. Six months since she assumed it was only a matter of time until he moved on, to her.

She glanced at him across their desks, and she shook her head in disappointment. She knew, deep down, that she had probably been seeing things. It was probably wishful thinking, and he probably didn't have any romantic feelings toward her at all.

She sighed when she noticed his crisp-looking, white shirt and his black tie with red hearts dancing on it. She scoffed, wondering if he was wearing it because it was Valentine's Day or because he had a date, someone to share all of those smiling hearts with.

He looked up, catching her eye, and almost as soon as he looked at her, her head shot to the computer screen in front of her. He thought he saw her turn slightly pink, he knew he saw her bite her lip. "Liv?"

She glanced at him. "What?"

"Are you okay?" he asked, leaning forward a bit.

She shook her head and got up, moving out of her chair and over to the coffee pot. "Fine," she said, no feeling at all in her words.

"You, uh, you have a date tonight, right?" he asked, following her with his eyes.

She cringed. "No," she said. She was hoping he wouldn't pry, hoping he wouldn't ask why. She couldn't tell him that for the last six months she was turning down every man that asked her to dinner, shooting down every guy that approached her, keeping herself available for him.

He tilted his head. "But it's Valentine's Day," he said. "Don't you think you should…"

"Drop it," she snapped. "I don't have a date, I don't want a date, I just wanna go home, watch a bunch of bad movies that have nothing to do with love, eat cold pizza, and drink myself stupid."

He raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. "You want some company?"

She furrowed her brow. "I thought you had a date," she said, sitting back down at her desk. "I mean you're…"

"I haven't dated since…well, no, Liv. I don't have a date." He sighed and said, "If you don't want the company then…"

"I do," she said, nodding. "It'd be nice. We haven't spent a lot of time together outside of…"

"I didn't think you wanted to," he interrupted, continuing their pattern of cutting each other off. "I guess I just thought…everyone's been weird around me lately and I thought you'd…"

She looked at him and said, "I'm trying to be here for you, El, really, I just…I don't wanna bring up…stuff."

He sighed. "I haven't talked to you about it, I know. I didn't know how. Not without sounding like a complete asshole."

She chuckled. "You always sound like a complete asshole." She winked at him and said, "After work, my place?"

He smiled at her and nodded. "It's a date."

She narrowed her eyes and threw her pencil at him. "Jerk." She gave the impression she was annoyed at his joke, but part of her wanted it to be a date. Badly.

* * *

"What movies did you get?" Olivia asked, opening the door to her apartment as she tried not to drop the pizza. They'd stopped at a rental place, but Elliot went in alone.

He hummed for a moment, then he said, "Interview with the Vampire, Blade, Once Bitten, From Dusk Till Dawn, and The Lost Boys."

"Wow, nothing says 'Happy Valentine's Day' than a blood-sucking creep marathon," she chuckled.

"I was trying to stay as far away from romance as possible," he said. "I know you hate it."

She looked at him, offended. "I happen to love romance."

He laughed. "I know that, I meant in your choice of movies. You hate love stories." He waggled an eyebrow at her and said, "You have a thing about vampires, I know you do. Besides, you might get scared and need me to hold you. See, I thought this through."

Her head tilted, she raised an eyebrow, and she folded her arms. "What?"

He sighed, sat on the couch, and pulled a slice of pizza out of the box she'd dropped onto the table. "Liv," he began, "Are you avoiding it on purpose or are you really blind?"

She knew what he meant. She threw the first movie into the DVD player, grabbed the remote, and sat beside him. "A little bit of both," she said. "I had a feeling you…but then you never made any kind of move so I…I thought I was wrong."

He shook his head. "You're not wrong. I was scared. Liv, I wasn't ready. I knew if I told you, if I did something about this, that I'd want a real commitment. But after the divorce I felt so …" he shook his head.

She rested her hand on his knee, an attempt at comfort. "You wanna talk about it?"

"Not really." He looked at her, vaguely listening to the movie playing. "I didn't know how you felt, either. I didn't wanna take the chance, and have you shoot me down. I mean, you've been kind of breaking a lot of hearts lately. I was secretly hoping you were just waiting for me, but I wondered…what if you were just not…"

"I was," she said, nodding. She bit her lip and said, "That's so stupid, saying it out loud. Makes me sound kind of pathetic." She laughed a bit, rolling her eyes.

"Not at all," he told her. "It shows that you really loved me. I've been doing the same thing." He shrugged and said, "I had to make sure my kids were okay, they kept saying they were, but…you know kids. Maureen kept trying to fix me up with her teachers, but I only wanted you. Kathleen wasn't ready to see me date, and the twins are still so upset about not having their mother around that I didn't want to give them any reason to hate me, or you, if we dated."

"El," she said as her heart cracked a bit. She squeezed his kneecap and said, "That's why. That's why I couldn't date. I knew you...if you asked, it would be a risk, and a big one at that, so I couldn't take a chance of being with someone if you decided you wanted…you wanted me."

He turned to face her completely, his hand dropped over hers on his leg, and he lifted her fingers, interlocking them with his. "I want you." His eyes were filled with love and certainty. "I want you."

She couldn't breathe, she could only nod, accepting what was coming now that she saw it so clearly heading for her. She heard the woman on the TV scream and her eyes flashed toward the screen for a moment.

He smirked and gently moved her head, making her face him again. "We can always start it over," he said. "Happy Valentine's Day." He closed the space between them, pressing his lips to hers softly. Tenderly.

Her hands, shaking, rose and caressed the sides of his face. She wanted more, but she didn't want to be greedy. She would take whatever he would give, and she would love it.

His lips moved from her lips to her chin, then grazed her collar bone until her pulse beat beneath them at the crook of her neck. He chuckled, low and evil, and swiped his tongue over her flesh.

"Oh, God," she moaned, her eyes fluttering closed as he lavished her neck with attention. "This explains my obsession with vampires," she said as she whimpered and scratched at his scalp.

"Did I find a weakness, Detective Benson?" he chided, scraping his teeth over her skin. He dropped two soft kisses, then lapped at the spot where he could see rapid pulsing. He moaned, acknowledging that he knew how was affecting her, and he sunk his teeth in, closing around her heartbeat.

She moaned louder, his name, and she clutched the back of his neck. If this is what this felt like, then why the fuck was that woman in the movie screaming? It felt amazing. "Oh, God," she whined.

He unlatched himself from her neck, but nibbled his way up to her ear, pulling at the lobe and licking behind, around, and inside. She was wriggling in his arms. "God damn, Liv, you're making this so fucking difficult."

"What?" she moaned, feeling herself drifting further into him, into his touch.

"Waiting," he whispered, meeting her lips with another delicately loving kiss. "I don't want to rush this, I've waited too fucking long for you to not take my damned time."

She chuckled and blinked up at him. "Why today?" she asked. "What happened today to make you decide to…"

"Your eyes," he said, interrupting her, as was his way. "Yesterday, when everyone was talking about their Valentine's Day plans, you had this look in your eyes that broke my heart and made me fall in love with you all over again." He kissed her softly. "When you said you just wanted to forget about it, I knew I had to make you change your mind. I had to give you a reason to believe in love again, believe that I loved you, because I didn't think you could see it."

She kissed him, making the first move for the first time, and she whispered, "I believe in love, El. I love you."

He laughed, a real laugh, and he kissed her again. "I love you, too, baby."

"Baby?" she questioned, smirking.

He nodded. "My baby. You're my baby now," he said. "That is, if you wanna be."

She kissed him, biting his bottom lip and tugging. "Yes," she whispered. She wrapped her arms around him, let him give her the deepest kiss she'd ever been given, and moaned his name against his lips.

"Liv," he whispered, moving his lips back toward his new favorite spot on her neck.

She hummed, answering him.

He chuckled as he licked and kissed her strong pulse again. "You need to wear a turtleneck tomorrow," he quipped. He bit into her throat, sucking and moaning as his hands traveled over her body, caressing and teasing her nipples and toying with the waistband of her pants.

The movie went unwatched, the pizza went uneaten, and the world slipped away as the risk that had been so obviously there was finally noticed, and finally taken.

**A/N: I've gotten some requests! Tomorrow's installment includes a blindfold. O..O Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	3. Love is Blind

**A/N: Love is blind. In a couple of ways.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler©**

"El?" Olivia called into his apartment, her gun drawn. "Elliot!" She heard nothing and the panic started to rise. She moved slowly into the place, staying against the wall and looking around.

She'd gotten a text from him, a plea for her to come over, he needed her help. She was terrified she was too late. She heard the door close, and she jumped, turning and aiming her gun. "Jesus, Elliot," she hissed, dropping the gun. "Do you have any idea what..."

"I'm sorry I got you all worked up," he interrupted, walking toward her. "But this is important, and I needed to get you here. Fast." He pulled lightly on her gun and got it out of her hands and down on his coffee table. "I need your help, really."

She raised an eyebrow. "With what?"

He pulled a long strip of red silk out of his back pocket. "Proving a theory," he said. "You once told me you wouldn't drive all the way to Queens to save my ass, and here you are, so I'm thinking...even though I know how this is gonna go down, I wanna prove it."

She scoffed. "This isn't Queens," she said, folding her arms. "And you're my partner, I have to be...what are you doing?" She backed away as he attempted to wrap the silk around her head.

"Stay still," he told her. "Relax." He looked into her eyes, paralyzing her. He raised his hands again, and he slipped the fabric over her head and tight it tightly right over her eyes. "Can you see anything?"

"Are you fucking...no, I can't see anything. I hate surprises, so if your little theory has anything to do with whether or not you can give me a heart attack, I can already tell you..."

He placed his finger over her lips, shutting her up, and said, "No more talking. Just walk." He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around, pushing her ass gently, getting her to move forward. "Watch your step," he said, guiding her over the small lip of the doorway to his bedroom.

"It smells like flowers in here," she said, sniffing. "Roses?"

"Candles," he said, she could hear the smirk in his voice.

She heard rustling, she heard a jingle, sounding like his belt. She raised her eyebrows behind the blindfold as she realized he was taking off his clothes. "El?"

"Shh," he hushed. His hands moved to her body, and she felt him pulling on her jeans, she felt the light shift in temperature as her own clothes were peeled off and away. "Just relax, Liv."

She took a sharp breath when his hands moved to her chest, taking off her shirt and bra. She heard him gasp, and she felt his cold hands on her skin. She jumped in response.

"Sorry," he whispered. "I know they're cold." He ran his open palms up and down her stomach, feeling every toned muscle, watching each one twitch. He slid his fingertips up to her breasts, teasing her nipples, pulling and rolling them. He moaned as her head fell back, and he heard the most wonderful noise come out of her mouth.

"El," she said again. "What are you doing?"

"Proving a theory," he whispered, letting go of her sensitive buds and grabbing her hips. He gave her a gentle push, making her fall back lightly onto the mattress. He crawled over her, laying in top of her with one leg on either side of her body, pinning her down.

She moaned lowly, feeling that he was, in fact, completely naked. She felt his hot breath on her skin, on her neck to be exact, and it was coming out fast and hard. She felt his hands moving lightly over her body, down her arms, down her sides, down her legs, then back up, just missing the spot that had begun to throb and ache for attention.

She felt his hands stop, and then she heard a soft pop. "What was that?"

He chuckled. "Relax," he said. All he seemed to say.

She felt something cold dripping onto her stomach, her hips bucked as her back arched. "What the hell..."

"Liv," he whispered.

"I know," she whispered back. "Relax. Easier said than done."

He chuckled and bent his head, licking up the chocolate syrup he had just squirted, in the shape of a heart, on her upper body, traveling over and around her chest and coming to a point at her navel.

"Oh, my God," she breathed.

"Can you tell?" he asked. "Could you tell what that was?"

"Incredible?" she said, letting out a small laugh.

He licked up the other side, catching a few drops that he'd missed. "Can you tell me now?"

"Did you...was that a heart?" she asked, picking up her head and trying to look at him, despite the blindfold.

He chuckled. He moved lower, dropping light kisses down her body, until he stopped in front of what he considered to be one of the most special parts of her body.

She felt his breath again, and every synapse in her brain fired at once. The hot air was teasing her even more than the experiences prior had done, and she whispered, "Elliot, what..."

"Liv, baby, I'm only gonna tell you this one more time," he said. "Relax." He moved forward, licking once and then sucking bits of her smooth, most sensitive skin into his mouth.

She moaned loudly, her hips bucked, and she felt him move his hands over her body again.

He flattened his palms over her pelvis and pushed her back down flat, keeping his lips and tongue moving. He held her down, using his strength, and he moaned against her slit. "You taste...God...so good." He licked slowly, then pushed his tongue in deeper.

"Holy shit," she hissed, her hands grabbing the sheet around her and twisting. "El, I...I'm..."

"I know," he murmured, still licking. He wrapped his lips around her clit and heard her whimper. "That's the idea," he said, his words muffled by his actions.

She whimpered again, never having this kind of reaction to this act before. She was confused as hell and slightly scared, but he was so good at what he was doing, and it felt so perfect, she didn't want him to stop. "Oh, my God," she managed to breathe out, proving she was still conscious.

He slowed his licks, and he moved away from her. He heard her moan in protest and he chuckled. "I'm right here, baby," he cooed, moving back up her body. He rested himself over her, nuzzled her nose a bit, and asked a sincere question. "I'm not going to do anything to hurt you, or make you so something you're gonna regret," he began, "So just tell me, do you want..."

"Yes," she whispered, interrupting him. "Just...take off the blindfold."

He reached his hand out and tugged the silk off of her eyes. He watched her blink quickly, and he smiled. She looked so beautiful in the glow of the candlelight. "Hi," he said softly.

"Hi," she returned. "What...El, what theory were you..."

"You and I wouldn't be here if you could see it happening," he said. "That's what's had you so afraid, right? You didn't want to see my reaction to your body, so worried about what I'd think, so afraid I'd cringe at the scars and imperfections that only exist in your head."

She tilted her head. She looked into his eyes. She gave him a quizzical look.

He smiled again. "I love every inch of your body, I think I just proved that. Did it feel like anything about you made me turn away?" He chuckled when she shook her head. "You were blindfolded so you could feel everything, every single thing, more intensely. I had to prove to you that I want you, all of you. I look at you and I don't see any of the imperfections you think are there." He brushed his lips over hers and whispered, "They don't exist, baby. I love you, I want you, and nothing you say or do is gonna make me change my mind."

She took a breath, quelling the fear, and she said, "Good, because if you changed your mind now, I'd have to shoot you."

"Your gun is in the living room," he said with a laugh. He nuzzled her nose again, and he whispered, "Ya know, I know we didn't talk about this, I haven't taken you to dinner, I haven't even kissed you yet, and here we are, naked in my bed."

She laughed. "I love you," she chuckled. "You can take me to breakfast in the morning, how's that?" She grinned and lifted her head slightly, pressing her lips to his.

He clutched her head, she gripped the back of his, and the kiss deepened. He moaned softly as he pushed into her and he reached out for her hand, linking their fingers. "Happy Valentine's Day," he whispered into the kiss.

She moaned and squeezed his hand for an answer. Knowing he went out of his way to prove he was blind to her faults, prove he loved her and knew her so completely, made it all the best Valentine's gift she'd ever received.

**A/N: What shall tomorrow's one-shot entail? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	4. Love is Wet Hot

**A/N: Sometimes it takes a push, but you give in and love falling…in love.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and its characters belong to Dick Wolf, this work of fiction belongs to TStabler©**

"Thanks for coming," Elliot said, ushering one of Kathy's friends out of the door. "Thanks, guys," he repeated, watching the next couple walking out. He turned and looked at Kathy. "It was good," he said with a shrug.

Kathy nodded, smiled, and grabbed her purse. She headed for the door, kissed his cheek, and said, "It could have been better."

"Kathy, don't go there," he said, closing his eyes. "We made it work, we proved we could make it work."

Kathy sighed, nodded again, and said, "Tell the kids I'll see them again soon, and wish the twins another happy birthday for me."

Elliot nodded and watched as she left. Then he closed the door. "Shit," he spat, turning around and running a hand down his face.

Olivia, still there, shook her head. "The kids had fun, that's all that matters, right?"

"All those people, Liv, in red and pink," Elliot mumbled bitterly. "Then Kathy ragging on me, talking about love…it was a birthday party, not…"

"A birthday party for twins who were born on Valentine's Day, El," Olivia interrupted. She grabbed her jacket and looked at him. "You had to know there'd be a few lovesick morons here, making the most of the night."

"Where are you going?" he asked, noticing her coat in her hands.

She looked at him, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Home. Why?"

He shrugged. "I thought we could…I mean, you helped me plan this, you helped decorate, you helped cook, I don't remember seeing you eat," he listed. "I though you'd stay for a bit, relax."

She looked at him, saw something unfamiliar in his eyes, and she said, "Okay." She draped her jacket over the back of the couch, and she said, "Relax me."

He chuckled. "Don't tempt me."

She smirked and laughed a bit. "Tempt you? You're the one who just said I needed to relax, and now you…"

"Fine, you wanna relax?" he said with a grin. "Come with me." He reached for her hand and pulled her toward the back of the house. He led her to the deck, surrounded by glass walls, and said, "Nothing more relaxing than that."

"I…I didn't bring a suit, El," she said, suddenly nervous.

"Who needs suits?" he asked, ripping his shirt over his head. He saw the look on her face and he laughed. "Underwear, Liv," he explained. "You are wearing it, aren't you?"

She slapped him in the arm and made a face. "Yes, and it matches for your information."

"Well, then, I don't see a problem," he said, shooting her a smirk. He fiddled with his belt as he toed off his shoes.

"You're serious," she said, pointing at him, and then at the hot tub.

His jeans dropped and he looked at her, dead in the eyes. "Why wouldn't I be?" he asked. He kicked his jeans away and padded over to the hot tub. He bent over and pushed a few buttons, then turned a knob. The water began to bubble and foam, and soft music began to play.

She watched, flummoxed, as he slipped into the water. "El, I…I don't…"

"I've seen you in your underwear, Liv," he reminded her, bringing up an embarrassing moment in the locker room. She was in the middle of changing behind a curtain, saw a spider, and screamed, leaping out of her little corner, right into his arms. She had been wearing nothing but a lacy set of underwear.

She sighed, and her hands moved to her shirt. She closed her eyes, mumbled a quick, "What the hell," and disrobed.

Elliot couldn't believe his eyes. Or that this had worked. He watched her slowly peeling away her clothes and he had to consciously remind himself not to drool or pounce on her. His eyes grew wide as she walked toward the hot tub, she was more beautiful and graceful than he remembered.

He held out his hand to help her into the hot water, and when she took it, he squeezed a bit. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" he asked.

She looked at him, slightly stunned. "No," she said. "I think it's the underwear."

He snickered a bit, but said, "No. No, Liv, you are…so beautiful." He lifted his wet hand and brushed the hair off of her face, the water dripping form his fingers made it stay back.

She had trouble catching her breath, and she looked away from him. "I thought you wanted me to relax," she said.

"I do," he whispered. He watched as she smirked at him, and then turned her body, and closed her eyes. It was the perfect moment, he thought. The perfect opportunity.

He moved closer, the water gently gurgling and sloshing against his skin as he moved. He held his breath as he dropped his head, and his lips barely touched hers when her eyes shot open.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked, her voice both shocked and scared.

"Calm down," he said, instantly grabbing her hands.

She moved away from him, or tried to anyway. "You got me in the hot tub, so you…you think I'm…you just wanted…"

"Calm down, Liv," he repeated, holding her steady. "Please, just…" He sighed and said, "I have been trying to tell you something for weeks, but every time I get the balls to just do it, we're called to a scene, or you tell me you have a date, or something happens with the kids, or Kathy calls and ruins my mood. I just…just listen to me."

"I'm listening," she spat.

He lifted his arms out of the water, cupping her face with his hands, and he said, "I love you." When she didn't respond, didn't even blink, he said, "And, clearly, I'm an idiot." He dropped his hands and moved, but he felt her grab his arm. He turned to her, surprised.

"You have to gimme a minute here," she told him. "I have to process…what you just said."

"I just said I love you," he told her, looking into her eyes.

She took a quick breath. "That's what I thought you said," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "El, you…you know. Don't you? That's why you're doing this, right?"

"Know what?" he asked, moving closer to her.

She closed her eyes, bit her lip, and said, quickly and almost unintelligibly, "I love you, too." She opened one eye, gauging his reaction, hoping he wasn't standing there laughing. She saw him standing there, silent and still. She opened the other eye, and she saw him start to smile. She watched eyes darken, and she said, "What?"

He smirked, it was dark. Evil. He moved forward, forcing her backward, and when she had her body pressed up against the side of the tub, he sill moved closer. With one arm on either side of her, he had her trapped. He leaned forward and said, "I love you."

With nowhere to go, nowhere to look but in his eyes, she had no choice but to fall into the trap he'd set for her. She had no time to think as his lips crashed into hers, and she noticed, as he pushed her harder into the wall, the jet pushing into her back. She moaned a bit.

"What's wrong?" he asked, still kissing her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Jet," she mumbled. "Not comfortable."

He chuckled, pulling away from her lips, and his eyes flashed with something frightening. He saw the hesitation in her eyes and he kissed the end of her nose, his way of calming her down, and he whispered. "Turn around."

"What?" she gasped. "If I turn around then…"

"I know," he whispered, wrapping his hands around her hips. "That's the point." He spun her around, and he dropped his lips to her shoulder. "I love you," he whispered, guiding her body, positioning her directly in front of the jet-stream of rushing, bubbling, water.

"El," she gasped, trying to move away, uncertain, nervous.

He had her braced tightly against him, she was stuck. He ran his lips over her back, and she stopped fighting him. His hands ran up her body, unclipping her bra, sliding the wet silk off of her body. He tossed it out of the way, it landed with a slosh on the deck's floor.

"El," she whispered, biting her lips to keep from moaning. "El, what…"

"Shh," he whispered. "Just tell me you love me," he demanded gently.

She moaned, then, unable to help it, and her head dropped back. "I love you."

"I know you do," he said with a chuckle. His left hand slid over her body, tugging at her left nipple, and his right hand moved further down her body, dipping into the waistband of her panties. "Do you want me to stop?"

"God," she seethed, her fingers digging into his thighs behind her. "No," she admitted. "Don't stop."

"Don't plan to," he murmured. He sucked her right earlobe into his mouth and pressed into her, his erection digging into her lower back, and he let his fingers glide through her folds, teasing her as much, if not more than the jet.

She gasped again, her body gave a light jerk, and she dug her nails deeper into his skin. "Elliot," she breathed.

"God, Liv, I used to dream of you saying my name like that," he said. He moved his fingers fasted, dipping one long, calloused digit into her. He felt her arching into him and he moaned.

"El," she groaned. "Elliot."

"Tell me what you want, baby," he whispered into her ear. "Tell me what to do."

She bit her lip, gathered her strength, and pushed away from the jet. She turned around, and she kissed him. Her hands moved down to his shorts and she tugged, telling them to take them off.

He moaned against her lips, moving one hand from around her body to his waist, shoving them down and off. They floated to the surface and he grabbed them, throwing them over his shoulder onto the deck floor. "You want to?"

"God, yes," she said, nodding. "You don't know how long…"

"Yes, I do," he interrupted, nodding. "I've wanted you just as long, if not longer. I can promise you that." He dropped his hands to her waist, and he pulled on her panties.

She leaned back, floating in the water for a moment as he tugged them off of her. Completely naked, she stood before him, flushed and nervous, excited and scared. She took his hand, and he moved toward her, and the minute he pressed his lips to hers, she moved back, this time making sure no jets were pressed against her.

He deepened the kiss, trailed his fingers over her body, teasing and loving her. He nudged her legs apart with his knee, and he whispered, "I need you to be sure. Absolutely sure, baby."

She looked into his eyes and she knew. He had to practically push her into the water, but she fell willingly. "I'm sure, El. I want this. I want you."

He wrapped his arms around her tightly and pushed into her, making them both let out strangled moans and relieved sighs, a few curses, and a few prayers. "Liv," he whispered, pressing deep into her, feeling her mold around him tightly.

"Oh, my God, El," she breathed, her nails breaking the skin on his back as she held onto him.

He moved, slowly and tenderly, as his lips placed soft kisses to every available, reachable bit of her skin.

She moved her hands, scraping her nails along his body, up to his head. She scratched and pawed at his scalp and let soft moans and light murmurs of his name slip between her lips.

He kept moving, speeding up and pushing harder, feeling the water splash against them, glancing out through the glass walls every once in while and smirking, knowing the neighbors could see if they looked hard enough.

She met every one of eager thrusts, slow, fast, and in between, and she felt as though she was going to blow up. "El," she moaned. "God, El, baby. So close, El."

He groaned at her words, and then he kissed her. "So fucking good, baby," he assured her. He felt her pulsating, clenching and releasing, and he dropped his head back. He'd never felt anything so wonderful before. "Oh, fuck, Liv," he spat. His thrusts grew harder then.

She moaned, whined, and she almost screamed, but he closed his mouth over hers before the sound could escape.

He grunted in short, audible bursts into her mouth as he came, her orgasm triggering his, milking him.

They moved together slowly for a moment, then stopped, the water around them still lapping energetically at their skin. "Holy shit," he whispered, dropping his head to her shoulder.

She laughed softly, running her hands through his head. "Well that was one hell of a birthday party," she snickered.

"Baby," he whispered, lifting his head to meet her eyes. "That was one hell of a Valentine's Day." He kissed her, and he moved, leading her out of the water, out of the hot tub. "Stay?"

She nodded. She looked at him, and as he wrapped a towel from the shelf around her, she kissed him softly. "I love you."

He smiled, a soft, genuine smile, and he said, "I love you, too, baby."

They picked up their clothes, both wet and dry, and walked, wrapped in their towels, back into the house. They knew things had changed, they knew things had shifted, and they knew they were taking a huge risk.

They'd allowed themselves to fall, together, and they caught each other, loving every moment.

**A/N: Long one, but worth it? Tomorrow's Valentine's Day party will be…interrupted…by something special. ;) Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	5. Love is Letting Go

**A/N: Sometimes things happen at the most unexpected times, and they turn out to be glorious. This was a request. Hope you enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. Tstabler © own this story.**

Olivia, standing by the buffet table, tugged on her flowy red dress, trying to magically make it longer. She was uncomfortable, she felt as though everyone was staring at her. She felt someone grab her hand, stilling it at her side.

"Stop," a voice said. "You look gorgeous."

She turned to him and said, "I feel like everyone's staring at me, El. I don't know why I let you talk me into something so form-fitting."

He laughed. "Everyone is staring because you look incredible, and you're glowing, and they're all desperate to know whose baby it is hiding underneath this lovely dress."

She looked over her shoulder. "You have to be kidding," she scoffed. "They all know, you dolt. Look at us. You can't keep your hands off of me for more than five minutes."

He chuckled. "Ah, but you are an enigma to most of these people, and they're all doing the math in their heads. I've only been divorced for five months, you're ready to pop."

She raised an eyebrow. "You were separated for almost a year, they don't know that?"

"Kathy always told everyone things were happy at home, bragging about our perfect life," he said, rolling his eyes. "The divorce came as a shock to everyone, including her. So no, these people don't know."

Their whispered conversation was halted when Kathy walked over. She reached for Elliot's hand and pulled him into her, kissing his cheek. "Elliot, you came."

"I was invited." He narrowed his eyes as he pulled his hand away from her. "I'm on the board, that didn't change when we got…"

"And you brought Olivia," Kathy said, looking at her. She eyed her up and down and said, "Good of you to bring her out like this."

Elliot smirked, shook his head, and said, "That baby's mine, Kathy. I'm proud of it, I'm showing it off, and she looks phenomenal, doesn't she?"

Kathy instantly paled. "Your…yours." She let out a small, nervous chuckle. "Well, then I should probably go take back what I said about her to the girls then." She shot Olivia a snide look and said, "Thanks for coming, Olivia. It's a benefit, and the more money we make, the better off the hospital will be. I'm just sorry it's taking away from what I'm sure my husband was planning to make a romantic Valentine's Day."

"Ex-husband," Olivia said, smirking right back at the blonde. "And you haven't taken anything away. Actually, he took care of the romance before we got here." She looped her hands around one of Elliot's arms.

Kathy's eyes widened as she saw the sparkle of the diamond on Olivia's finger, and she opened and closed her jaw like a fish, making odd noises. "What…" she managed to say, pointing.

"It's an engagement ring," Elliot said, grinning as he sipped his champagne. "I know I never gave you one, but…well, our situation was different."

Kathy glared at him. "You're really…you're doing this," she hissed. "Here? You're doing this in front of all of our friends?"

"Your friends," Elliot corrected. "I know some of these people from work, when I have to talk to doctors and nurses, but they are not my friends. The ones that I know have known about me and Liv for a long time, so this isn't a problem."

Kathy tugged Elliot away from Olivia for a moment and lowered her voice. "You're embarrassing me, Elliot. Do you know what I told these people? That you were coming here to be with me, you wanted to come home, the divorce was…"

"Well, then you should go apologize for lying to them," he interrupted. "And you should really find your sense of reality because, clearly, you've lost it." He shook his head and walked back toward Olivia.

"What was that about?" Olivia asked, tilting her head.

Elliot put his champagne glass down, took her hand, and pulled her toward the door. "We're leaving."

She furrowed her brow. "But I thought you wanted to…"

"We did what I wanted us to do," he spat over his shoulder at her. "And now we're leaving." He slapped the ticket for their coats down on the table, waited, and grabbed them from the woman behind the desk without saying anything. He helped Olivia into hers, pulled on his, and yanked her forward again.

"Ow," she said, pulling her hand back.

"Oh, honey," Elliot said, his eyes closing as he stopped. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for bringing you here just to prove a point, I'm sorry for pulling you out…"

"You didn't hurt me," she said, her eyes squeezed shut. "I think…oh, my God," El." She fell forward into him, clutching him, seething in pain.

"Now?" he asked, panicking, holding her.

She bit her lip and nodded. "Either it's now or that chicken isn't agreeing with me," she snapped, trying to keep her humor about her.

He chuckled a bit, kissed her forehead, and said, "Okay, okay, baby. Uh…hospital, we need a hospital…where'd I park the car?"

"Elliot!" Olivia yelled, a contraction ripping through her. "Turn around! We're already at the hospital." She started to breathe quickly, suddenly thankful he had dragged her to Lamaze classes. He had told her it was so they could spend more time together, and because it was her first child, but really, he needed her to be ready for this because he knew he would panic, just as he was doing.

"Right," he said, looping his arms around her. He led her back into the building, keeping her supported and kissing her forehead.

They ran into Kathy, who was coming out of the convention room where the gala was being held. "Elliot, you…I thought you left."

"Had to come back," he said, close to hyperventilating. "She's…she's…"

"Oh, my God," Kathy said, anxious. "Okay, just…wait here, I'll get a wheelchair, we'll admit her, I'll get your doctor." She walked fast, away from them.

"Kathy!" Elliot shouted.

Kathy stopped and turned around, waiting.

Elliot softened his look, gave her a small smile, and said, "Thank you."

Kathy smiled back, and moved fast, making sure the hospital, and everyone in it, took good care of Olivia as quickly as they possibly could.

* * *

He had been nervous, antsy, pacing around the waiting room. He'd called everyone listed in his phone's memory, even people he didn't speak to anymore. He bit his lip so hard it had bled.

Kathy watched, sad that he had never looked that way when it came to her and their children, but she smiled, too. He was happy now, she knew that. "She's fine, Elliot," she said. "They're prepping her, they'll let you in soon."

"You don't get it," he said softly. "I've never been away from her for this long. Not…not when she needs me there, ya know? I feel so…"

"Hey," Kathy interrupted. "This is Olivia, she can beat up men three times her size and she can take a bullet like a champ.

He turned and looked at her, smiling his first real smile at her since their divorce. "You're right," he said. "I'm still nervous, though. This isn't just any kid…this is….this is our…" he shook his head, wrung his hands together, took another deep breath and finally the doctor came through the doors. He told Elliot to throw on some scrubs. It was time.

Kathy watched him run through the doors, and she knew she'd lost him. She realized he'd been gone for years, even before things between them had failed. She sighed, sitting down, not even turning toward the noise when most of the people Elliot had called ran into the waiting room.

She heard their voices, heard her children calling her, but she was still staring at the closed wooden door, a part of her whishing it was her in that room, in that bed, with that man and that baby.

* * *

Several hours later, a very exhausted and very emotional Elliot came bursting through the doors. He saw the people waiting for him, for the news, and he stopped, losing his breath.

"How is she?" Kathleen asked, standing.

"Yeah," Lizzie said, standing, too. "How's Mom? How's the baby?"

Kathy turned, then. Had Lizzie just called another woman her mother? She heard Elliot clear his throat, and he sniffled. She knew he was trying not cry in front of all of these people. She turned to look at him.

"Alexander Benson Stabler," he said, wiping his eyes. "Seven pounds, six ounces, nineteen inches, of beautiful, baby boy." He couldn't help it. He cried. His head dropped into his hands and he was laughing while he sobbed.

"What about Olivia?" Cragen asked, wiping his own eyes.

Elliot nodded. "She's good," he said. "She's tired and she wants to go home," he laughed. "I can take the kids into…"

"Me, too," Kathy said, standing.

Elliot looked at her. He raised his eyebrow, but he looked at his kids faces. They looked concerned, but Maureen nodded, suggesting it was a good idea. He held the door open for them as they filed through. "Third one on the left," he said, walking after them.

Olivia smiled as the group entered the room, a worn-out but happy grin. "Hey, guys." She saw Kathy and the smile faded slightly. "Hi."

"Alexander," Kathy said, looking down at the boy. "That's Latin…means love and devotion."

Olivia nodded. "We know," she said.

Elliot sniffled and said, "We knew he was coming around Valentine's Day, and that's…well…love and devotion, that's what made him, so…" He shrugged and kissed Olivia's head as he gently sat on the bed beside her.

"Benson, though?" Kathy questioned. "Not that it's not a great name, I just…"

"He's part of her, so is that name," Elliot said, taking another breath. He looked down at his son and said, "Benson, as long as I've known her, has been strong, resilient, and so loving. I wanted to give that to him. I wanted him to be just as much her as he is me."

Olivia looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "I love you." She smiled as he kissed her softly.

Kathy, still looking at the sleeping baby, asked, "What color are his eyes?"

"Blue," Olivia and Answered together. They laughed and Olivia's heart melted as she watched Elliot bend his head and kiss the baby's closed eyelids.

"Valentine's Day," Kathy said with a small laugh. "This is what it's really about. True love, family, and holding onto each other."

"Yeah," Olivia whispered.

Kathy smiled at her, for the first time in a long time. "It's also about letting go," she said softly. She gave Olivia's hand a gentle squeeze, brushed the fuzzy hair of the baby back gently, and gave Elliot a look of acceptance and reverie. She nodded at them, kissed her kids, and she left the room.

"That was awkward," Dickie, Elliot's older son , said with a chuckle. He walked over and looked down at the baby. He smiled and kissed Olivia's cheek. "Thank you."

"For what?" Olivia asked, touched.

"Giving me a baby brother." He smiled, looked back down at the boy, and he said, "And for holding on. Despite everything, you two held on, and look at him. He's…he's awesome."

Olivia and Elliot looked at each other and they smiled, their lips met in a delicate kiss, and they knew. They knew they'd never be letting go.

**A/N: Had a bit of trouble with this request. I hope it got the right point across. Tomorrow's installment will be very, very sweet. And also very spicy. Review here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	6. Love is Sweet

**A/N: Something so sweet can turn spicy real fast.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. Tstabler © own this story.**

Elliot turned the key, opening the door at a little after eleven. His brow furrowed as he sniffed the air in the apartment. "What are you doing?"

A voice from the kitchen, sounding annoyed and exhausted, said, "Trying not to throw this bowl across the room."

"What?" he laughed, heading toward the voice. "Liv, what are you…"

He was stopped, made completely speechless by the sight in front of him. She was wearing the sexiest, little red dress that hugged every curve of her body like a second layer of skin, she had a look of pure determination on her face, and the streaks of flour on her face did nothing to quell his growing desire for her.

"I'm trying, ya gotta give me that," she said, throwing her arms up in defeat.

He took another step toward her, and he rested his hands on her hips. "Cupcakes," he said. "You're actually baking…"

"None of them are edible," she interrupted. "I've tried three times already, and the only things I've successfully created are dark chocolate hockey pucks. Chinese Fighting Cupcakes, El, we could take these to work with us instead of our guns. They'll kill faster, I guarantee ya that."

He picked up one of the cooled cupcakes, which felt more like a rock, and he tapped it against the counter. "Would save us a lot of bullets," he joked. He looked at her face, he laughed, and he kissed the end of her nose. "What made you decide to do this?"

"It's our first Valentine's Day. Together. Alone." She shrugged, then went back to stirring the batter in the bowl. "You're always cooking, and baking, and cleaning, and I'm the girl. It just seems…" she gasped, stopping what she was saying, when her hand slipped and sent flour and cocoa powder careening out of the bowl and right onto Elliot's black shirt. "I am so…"

"So that's how this is gonna be, then?" he quipped, raising an eyebrow. He stuck his hand into the bowl, scooping up a tiny bit of the mixed batter at the bottom onto his finger. He dragged it down the bridge of her nose.

She looked at him, her face frozen, expressionless, but her eyes narrowing the slightest bit.

"Hold on," he said, reaching for something on the counter. He grabbed the bottle of aerosol whipped cream and pressed the nozzle down, dabbing a bit of the fluffy, sweet condiment on the very tip of her nose.

She tilted her head, not amused.

He chuckled, pressing his lips together to keep from laughing fully, and he said, "Now that's what I call a dessert." He pulled her closer to him, and he wrapped his lips around the end of her nose lightly, cleaning off the cream and a bit of the brownie mix.

She smirked at him, gave him a nudge to back him up a bit, and pulled the can of whipped cream out of his hands. "You just started a war, you know that, don't you?"

"Oh, no," he said, holding up his hands. "I was just getting even for…"

She moved fast, bracing one side of his with her left arm, jerking it gently to the side. She squirted a dollop of cream on his neck, and she got right to work cleaning it up.

He moaned as her tongue swept over his rapid, hard-beating pulse, and he let out an almost choking sound as her teeth grazed his skin. He hadn't admitted, but she recently discovered on her own, that being with her brought out the animal in him. Made him want to bite and scratch, be bitten and scratched in return. "God, Liv," he mumbled.

"You started it," she mumbled against his sticky, sweet skin. "Remember that."

He grunted and used all of his strength to push her away, turn her around, and grab the can out of her hands. He let his eyes travel the length of her body once, and he dropped the can onto the counter. He grabbed the can of chocolate fudge frosting instead, and brought it up to her face. He wiggled it threateningly.

"What are you…no, this is an expensive dress," she said, shaking her head.

He smirked. "Well, then, you're just gonna have to take it off if you don't want it to get dirty," he said softly. "Because this is going to get very dirty." He ran his hand up her arm, across the back of her neck, and he pulled lightly on the zipper of her dress.

Her breath hitched and her heart thudded. "El, what are you…"

"Move," he interrupted, pulling her forward a bit. He got her zipper down and stared into her eyes as the fabric of the dress loosened and bunched. He used one hand to shirk off the material, over her shoulders, and he watched it pool at her feet. "Good Lord," he gasped. "You're so beautiful," he whispered.

Taking advantage of his distraction, and avoiding her sudden shyness, she overcame him, flipping them over and grabbing hold of his tie. "Off," she spat, yanking on it. She got the silk away from his collar, and she went to work on his buttons as she felt something cold slide over her shoulder.

He chuckled at the line of dark chocolate on her tanned skin, and he bent his head, working his tongue over it, moaning.

"El," she breathed, her eyes fluttering shut as she fell into him.

He grabbed her around her waist and flipped them around again, picking her up and dropping her on the counter. He pushed the measuring cups and spoons aside and braced himself against her, one arm on either side of her. He moaned as he latched onto her neck and felt her grab his head, holding him down. "Jesus," he hissed.

"Thought Catholics weren't supposed to do that," she teased, running her fingers through his scalp.

"There're a lot of things I do that Catholics shouldn't," he said, dipping his finger back into the icing. He brought it to her lips, swiped his finger over them as she held his gaze, and he slowly licked the sweet stuff off, dragging his tongue over her slightly parted lips.

She didn't move her head, not wanting to end the sensual moment, as she worked her hands around his belt, pulling it open and shoving down his pants. Her breathing grew rapid and her moans grew louder as he pressed further into, now free of any constraints. She felt him, hard and ready against her thigh, and she dropped her head back as he swiped the icing down her neck.

"I like it when you bake," he mumbled, his tongue dragging along the icing up along her throat. He grabbed her hips and pulled her closer to the edge of the counter. He held her tightly as he shifted and pushed her red silk panties to the side, slipping past them and thrusting into her completely.

She moaned and gripped the flesh of his back, the sharp pinch and slight ache that always accompanied his intrusion was momentary as she relaxed around him. "El," she whispered, tugging on his earlobe.

"Baby," he said, almost a grunt, pulling out and pushing in, holding the counter with one hand and her body with the other. "Shit, baby." He moved her back a bit, and his arm pushed the baking tray and a batch of rock-like muffins to the floor, sending them rolling and scattering around the kitchen.

She didn't care. She didn't even notice. She nibbled lightly on his ear and panted, her hot breath sending him into overdrive, and he pulled away from her neck to look into her eyes. She let him control it, let him pull her, hold her, claim her. Her eyes closed and she cried his name in a way that ran right through him and made his hair stand on end. "Oh, God, Elliot," she whined.

He dropped his lips, capturing hers as her head lifted back up, and the hand not gripping the wooden counter wrapped around the back of her neck. He moaned intelligibly into her mouth, keeping his hips pumping.

She arched her back and dropped her hands to the counter, trying to find balance, but finding only a bag of flour and the bowl of batter. Both went sailing off of the surface, onto the floor. The flour, now coating Elliot's shoes, gave off white, smoky clouds as it filtered through the air and dusted their bodies lightly.

She chuckled and moaned as she moved her batter-laced fingers upward. She pulled away from the kiss and she offered him a chocolate covered digit, a wanton and hungry look in her eyes.

He returned her look, his eyes burning almost right through hers as he let out a small growl and took her fingers greedily into his mouth. He moaned in delight as he swirled her pointer around in his mouth, as she pulled it out slowly, letting him suck every bit of chocolate and sugar off of it. "So good," he breathed.

She held on to him tight, and he moved hard and fast, powerfully proving how much he both wanted and needed her. She let out a low moan, then she said his name, dragging it out.

"God, do that again," he demanded with a kiss. "That noise."

"What noise?" she asked, groaning. She wasn't even aware of the noises she was making. She dug her nails into his shoulders, dragged them down his back and back up, scratching and making him hit into her harder.

He grunted, signaling to her that he was ready, and he felt her pulsing around him, clenching, cumming. "Oh, fuck, Liv," he cried, letting her ride her release out as he kept moving.

"El," she cried, her body going rigid against his. She whimpered and cried his name and moaned softly against his lips as she felt the wonderful burn and tingle rip through her.

He shot into her then, finally, letting go at the tail-end of her powerful orgasm. He grunted softly, losing the ability to form words or normal sounds, and he slowed his thrusts to a stop, staying inside of her as he panted, catching his breath.

She was draped over him, a mass of boneless woman, and she let out a single snort.

"What's so funny?" he asked, dropping a kiss to her shoulder, and poking his tongue out to lick up a spot of missed icing.

She shivered a bit, her body in a hyper-sensitive state, and she said, "When I decided to bake for you, I knew it would be messy, but this…this is just ridiculous."

He laughed and pulled back, helping her sit up. "I love you," he whispered, his eyes softening to nothing but bright-blue reflections of love as he looked at her.

She smiled. She kissed him sweetly. "I love you, too." She sighed, looked around the kitchen again, and said, "But I am never baking for you again."

He chuckled as he helped her down off of the counter, dropping her into the puddle of flower. "Happy Valentine's Day, baby."

**A/N: I will help them bake cupcakes. Really, I will! Tomorrow…a Valentine's party at school, with an unexpected guest and a surprise from the kids. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	7. Love is Obvious

**A/N: When a child can see that you're in love, maybe it's time to admit it to yourself.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. Tstabler © own this story.**

The classroom was decked out in red and pink hearts, children wearing those colors were running around the room toting heart-shaped cookies and pink cups filled with red juice. Elliot laughed as he watched his twins passing out their valentine's to their friends. He missed the days of carefree youth, but he was taking great pride in watching his own children enjoy it.

"What happened, Lizzie?" he asked, concerned as his youngest daughter plodded over to him.

"Mark threw out my valentine," she said, turning her lower lip up, pouting.

Elliot looked up and he smirked. "Well, honey, Mark can't have chocolate, but look. Look at him."

Lizzie turned, and her smile returned. For there was little Mark, reading the card she had given him, smiling. "Oh!" she said, laughing. "I just…I guess I…"

"Go talk to him," Elliot said, nudging her. "Go ask him to be your valentine."

Lizzie turned. "I'll do it if you do it," she said.

Elliot made a face at her. "I don't want Mark to be my…"

"Not Mark, Dad! Liv," she said, matter-of-factly.

Elliot laughed. "Yeah, you've had way too much sugar. She'd never…besides, she isn't even here, Lizzie, she's at work. I only took the day off to come to this party for you guys."

Lizzie smiled at her father. "Dad, I know you're in love with her. We all do. We've known for a long time. And we're all tired of you pretending you're not because you think we'll hate you or something. You're always doing this really cool stuff for us, and putting yourself last. That's why we did something equally as cool for you. Turn around, Daddy."

Elliot furrowed his brow, and he turned around. His face lit up when he saw Olivia, in her work suit, badge shining in her hand as she laughed and joked with Dickie and his friends, who were pretending to be interested in her shiny, gold shield while discreetly checking her out, as all thirteen year old boys were apt to do.

"How did she…why is she…she should be…" he was stammering over his words.

Lizzie leaned over and whispered, "Happy Valentine's Day, Dad." She kissed him on the cheek and then ran over to talk to Mark, and a few other kids.

Elliot got to his feet, walked over toward his son, and said, "Okay, guys. Leave Detective Benson alone or I'll have to take you all in for harassing an officer."

The boys laughed, and they ran off to play one of the party games. Olivia stood up straight, hooked her badge back onto her hip, and said, "Hey, El."

"What are you doing here?" was his response.

"Wow," she scoffed. "I can leave if it's really…"

"No," he said too quickly. "I just…you're supposed to be at work, and I didn't even think you knew about this thing."

She laughed. "I am at work," she said. "I'm taking a break. And I didn't know about it, not until your son called me, asking if I could stop by. He was so cute, El, he asked me to be his valentine and he drew little hearts in his text message, it was adorable."

Elliot looked at Dickie, something interesting in his eyes. "So you came to be with…my son?"

"I would do anything for your kids, El," she told him. "Relax, I'm not gonna date him or anything. He's not my type. Ya know, I want a guy who can drive. And vote. And drink."

"I get it," he said to her, chuckling. "You really took time out of your case-load to come down here and eat cookies with my kids?"

She made a face and wagged her head back and forth for a moment. "And you." She eyed him cautiously and said, "Dickie said that this was a party for the parents, and I know Kathy was supposed to be here, so I…"

"Oh," he said, stopping. "Thanks, Liv. That means…"

"Don't mention it," she interjected. "You're my partner. It's part of the job description. Right between 'honor and defend' and 'support fully' it says 'attend asinine school functions on stupid holidays."

He laughed, smiling his most genuine smile in months at her. "You amaze me."

"I do?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

He nodded. Then he took a chance, he took her hand, and he led her over to a desk. He gestured for her to sit, and he looked at her. "Lizzie…uh…we had this agreement. If she asked the kid she's got a crush on to be her valentine, then I would do the same thing."

She pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. "You have a crush on a kid? Do I have to arrest you?"

He rolled his eyes. "It's not a kid, Liv. I'm trying to tell you something serious here."

"Sorry." She sighed and folded her arms. "I don't do serious very well. You know that. Especially not when you're about to ask me for dating advice. The best I got is don't pick her up in the Cadillac and make sure you're wearing clean socks."

He raised an eyebrow. "Socks?"

"I told you I was bad at this," she said, smirking.

He laughed and shook his head. "I'm not asking you for dating advice. I'm, uh, I think I'm…I'm trying to ask you on a date."

Both eyebrows rose into the air and her face was the epitomic expression of shock. "What?"

"I'm…well, I…" he looked at her, and he sighed. "Look, here it is. For a long time, I don't even know how long, I've been falling in love with you. It just got worse after Kathy left. Or better. I don't know. All I know is, my kids dragged you down here because they saw it. They noticed it, and they wanted me to do something about it. So…this is me doing something about it."

"I'm still on 'I've been falling in love with you." She shook her head and took a breath. "Gimme a little time to catch up."

"I'm sorry." He unfolded his arms, bit his bottom lip, and shrugged a bit. "I know this isn't how you deserved to find out…but it is Valentine's Day, and this is a Valentine's Day party so…uh, God this is so cheesy…" he paused and picked up one of the pink heart-shaped cookies. He held in his hand for a moment, as if feeling the weight of it, because it was very heavy. What it meant was very heavy. "Liv, will you…will you be my valentine?"

She looked into his eyes, her heart gave a hard thud, and she reached with shaky fingers for the cookie. "El," she whispered, staring at the pink-frosted sugar cookie. "El, I..."

"Hey," he said with a defeated smile as he punched her lightly in the arm, "It was worth a shot, right?"

"I love you," she said, though it's not what she wanted to say. Her eyes widened a bit and she stuttered, making small noises. "I…I meant, um, I think we…we should probably…"

"You love me?" he asked, a whisper, leaning closer to her. "Did you mean that?"

She closed her eyes and let out a breath, trying to relax. "Yes," she said. "But I…I was just afraid that you…"

Her eyes were closed, so she didn't see him, couldn't stop him. His lips were so soft, so warm as they pressed against hers. She moved the hand not holding the cookie to his face, and caressed lightly as she returned the soft, delicate, closed-mouth kiss.

He pulled away, and he held his breath, waiting for her to open her eyes. "Liv," he whispered.

She slowly lifted her lids and she stared into his eyes. "El," she said, her lips curling into a smile.

He took her hand, grabbing it lightly and pulling it off of his face. He brought it down and rested it over his heart, and he said, "You did that. You feel how fast my heart is beating right now? Every minute of every day, that's what you do to me."

She blinked, and she kissed him again. "Happy Valentine's Day," she whispered, before nuzzling his nose with hers.

Looking on, Dickie and Lizzie grinned. They turned to each other and high-fived, and they laughed. "Maybe now he'll stop picking up the phone and trying to call her," Lizzie said.

"Maybe now he'll stop mumbling her name in his sleep," Dickie said, rolling his eyes.

Lizzie sighed. "Maybe now he'll be happy. We'll all be happy."

"Yeah," Dickie said, giving a sigh of his own. "Hey, Liz?"

"Yeah?" his sister replied.

He smiled and whacked her in the arm. "Happy Valentine's Day."

**A/N: Cute and Fluffy, and something I don't think I have done. Maybe I did? Dunno. Review here or on Twitter: TMG212 and read tomorrow's story…a double date gone awry!**


	8. Love is Saying It

**A/N: Nothing says "I love you" like an awkward moment with the man you love. And his wife?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. Tstabler © own this story.**

Olivia was smiling, nodding, pretending to be interested in the conversation. It wasn't easy with the man beside her discreetly sliding his hand up and down her thigh under the table. Every few minutes that same hand would tug on the fabric of the pink dress she was wearing, raising it higher, revealing more bare skin. Those same fingers would draw closer to the tender flesh hiding beneath her silky underwear, tease the sensitive skin, and they would drive her crazy.

"That's…that's so…interesting." She sipped her water and closed her eyes for a moment, swallowing the cold liquid back hard. God, this man had to know what he was doing to her, and in front of whom he was doing it.

"Elliot," the woman sitting across from Olivia said, nodding with a smile, "Why don't you tell us about your meeting with Cragen yesterday?"

Olivia felt the hand on her thigh stop its movement and give a hard squeeze. She turned to Elliot. "Meeting with Cragen? Where was I?"

Elliot narrowed his eyes, looking at Kathy, who looked very pleased with herself. He cleared his throat and said, "Yeah, Liv, uh…it was nothing. Just…"

"I don't call him offering you a promotion nothing," Kathy interrupted.

Olivia scoffed, slapping the hand on her thigh away from her skin. She stared at the owner of that hand for a minute. "Were you ever gonna tell me about this?"

"Uh-oh," Kathy mumbled, smirking. "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. I just thought we should celebrate."

Elliot looked from Olivia to Kathy. "There's nothing to celebrate. I'm not taking the job."

Kathy's face fell. "You're not? Why not? It was a good…"

"How did you even know about that?" Elliot interrupted, asking Kathy with fire in his eyes. He was so close to having an out-in-the-open relationship with Olivia, and his very-soon-to-be-ex-wife just blew it all to pieces.

Kathy shrugged. "Dan told me, I…"

Elliot turned his head a bit, looking at the man Kathy had brought to dinner, who was also a detective in the Computer Crimes Division in Elliot's precinct. "Really? Why would you do that?"

Dan, looking shocked, said, "I figured you would tell her! It would be something you'd share with your kids, or…I mean, they're gonna ask about your job at the custody hearing, so I…"

"But I'm not taking the job!" Elliot spat.

Olivia, her eyes still narrow, asked, "Why not?"

Elliot looked at her. "It…he offered me a captain's position, Liv. In Homicide. I can't…I could never…I mean, not right now."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, still hurt and surprised.

He looked at her and he sighed. "Liv, I knew you'd try to convince me to take the job. We need the money, it's better hours, I could spend more time with my kids…"

"Exactly," she interrupted.

"But I wouldn't be able to get anything done. Not without you, not yet," he told her, shaking his head. "I'm not ready to give you up, yet. This is still way too new for me to choose Olivia, my girlfriend, over Benson, my partner."

She looked at him for a moment, her expression blank.

Kathy sipped her water, grinning, thinking she had done what she'd set out to do, thinking she had followed through with her plan, the reason this double-date even happened. She thought she successfully tore them apart, the way Olivia had done to them once upon a time.

"I didn't think telling her would be such a problem," Dan said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry."

Olivia shook her head at him. "No, it's…it's fine," she said. "Really, I just…I didn't know…and why he…" She shook her head again, sipped her wine, and looked up at Elliot. "You're turning down that job just because of me?"

He sighed, and ran a hand a hand down his face. "Yeah. I am."

"Wait," Kathy said, her eyes narrow now. "You'll stay for her, but you wouldn't leave for me?"

Elliot looked at Kathy, and then looked at Olivia. "Are you really mad at me for this?"

"Not mad, just…shocked," she said. "That's an amazing opportunity for you. And you're staying just because…"

"Because I love you," he said, cutting her off. "I love you, Liv."

She looked at him, her eyes still wide, but now filling with tears. It was the first time he said it quite that way. The first time those exact words, in that exact order, had left his mouth. "El," she said, almost a whisper.

He reached out and brushed the single tear that had fallen off of her cheek. "I love you," he repeated, finding himself now so willing to say it.

Her hand cupped his, resting on her face, and she took a quick, shallow breath. "Elliot," she breathed.

Kathy looked on, annoyed. They were supposed to be fighting over this; Olivia was supposed to be angry that Elliot was even offered a new job and she wasn't. She was supposed to be pissed that he'd even consider taking the promotion. Kathy was confused. "You're not mad?"

Olivia, blinking once and staring into his eyes, shook her head. She tried to speak, she couldn't move. She pulled his hand away from her cheek, dropping their tangled fingers in her lap, and she leaned in slowly, kissing him.

Kathy rolled her eyes and swallowed back more of her water, and she gave Dan a sharp look. "This is all your fault."

"Yeah," Dan said with a sigh. "I know. I suck."

Olivia didn't hear either of them she was lost. She pulled away from Elliot and whispered, "I love you, too, El."

Their eyes locked, their faces frozen in expressions of equal amounts of relief and fear, and love. Elliot unclenched his hand, letting hers go, and he reached up to the table grabbing his wine glass. He held it out to her, suggesting she do the same.

She chuckled and grabbed her glass with a delicate hand, and she brought it to his. The goblets met with a soft clink, and they held each other's longing gazes as they sipped together. A silent to toast to the step they'd just taken, the progress they'd just made.

Kathy huffed and folded her arms. "Can we get back to why we're here, now?" she asked. "Isn't almost time?"

Elliot shifted his eyes toward her. She always did know how to spoil the moment. "Yeah." He checked his watch, smirked, and said, "It is just after nine, the legal offices have closed." He laughed and said, "We are now officially, finally, and legally divorced."

Kathy scoffed. "Yay," she said sarcastically.

"I'm actually starting to think Munch was right," Elliot said, looking back at Olivia. "When I told him when the whole thing would be finalized, he said it was a sign. Valentine's Day and all, ya know? An ending and a beginning, on what should be the most romantic day of the year."

"It's Valentine's Day?" Olivia asked, laughing.

"All day," Kathy said with a phony grin.

Olivia eyed her for a moment. "I was a little too busy at work to pay attention to the actual date," she said. "Besides, I've always hated Valentine's Day."

"Liv, think about it," Elliot said. "My divorce was officially filed and documented today, you and I…we just said…I mean, that was the first time…and it was today. That's gotta change your mind about it."

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe a little."

Dan laughed. "You two are really something else," he said. "The way you are…how long have you known each other?"

"Ten years," Elliot said, looking at him and sipping his wine. "Ten amazing years."

Dan tilted his head. "How long have you been together? I know Kathy's told me a lot about your relationship, but…"

Elliot held up a hand. "I'm sure my, uh, ex-wife over there exaggerated. We've been together, romantically, for a little over a month, but I've been in love with her for a lot longer than that. She was there throughout the entire separation, all six months of it, helping me and the kids through it. It took a long time for me to get up the nerve to tell her, show her, that I was in love with her, because we had a lot to lose if we screwed this up."

"I get that," Dan said, "That's kinda what happened with me and Kathy. Some people would think something was up in the precinct. Me dating your wife, uh, you know." He sipped his beer. "It's been hard keeping it a secret for this long."

Olivia made a face and crossed her arms. "And just when did the two of you start seeing each other?"

Kathy jumped to answer. "Oh, well, we really didn't…"

"The day she signed the papers," Dan said. "I took her out to dinner that night to celebrate."

Elliot smirked. "Really," he said, acknowledging it. "That's sweet." He sipped his wine and laughed. He looked at Olivia and said, "You wanna get out of here?"

"Yes, please," she said, throwing her napkin on the table.

"Well, dinner was, uh, memorable," Elliot said, handing Dan a crisp hundred dollar bill from his wallet. "That should cover us and the tip. Have a good night, guys." He grabbed Olivia's hand and pulled her toward the door, needing to get out of the restaurant fast.

Once outside, she slipped on her coat and laughed. "Wow," she said, "She's got nerve."

"She's got a problem," he said. He took her hand and said, "So you told me you love me."

"You said it first," she said with a smile, a light in her eyes. "And I'd love to hear you say it again."

He stopped walking, which stopped her, and he turned to face her. He looked into her eyes, cupped her check with his hands, and he said, "I love you."

She blinked as her smile grew, and she stared back just as hard, "I love you, too." She kissed him softly, and then she said, "Happy Valentine's Day, El."

He raised an eyebrow, shocked that she'd said such a thing. "Really?"

"You were right," she said with a smile as she began walking toward the car again. "Tonight's changed my mind."

He laughed as he walked with her, opened her door, and shut her in the car. He tossed the keys in the air and took a deep breath. "Yeah," he said, nodding as he got behind the wheel. "Happy Valentine's Day."

**A/N: A simple one-shot about how they say "I love you," and I hope it was okay for being written so quickly. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212 Tomorrow, someone gets jealous, and someone gets messy. **


	9. Love is Jealousy

**A/N: Jealousy is often the greatest proof of love.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. Tstabler © own this story.**

He was watching her. Watching her head throw itself back as the most beautiful sound in the world, her laugh, was pulled from the softest lips he'd ever come across. He watched as her eyes twinkled in the dim light of the room, as her tiny red straw poked in between the rosy lips he longed to feel again. He watched as her eyes moved from the man who was charming her to his face, and he smirked.

They played this game far too well, and for far too long. This game of tug-of-war, ensuring one was always unattainable when the other was free and willing. He wanted to end it. Now. He was halfway over to her when his own date tugged on his arm. "Elliot," the too-high voice called. "Dance with me."

He turned to the redhead, whom he was only with because the woman he wanted already accepted another man's offer, and he said, "I'm not much of a dancer."

The redhead glowered. "You danced with your partner," she said. "Everyone saw that, and you looked like you know how to move."

_Only with her¸ _he thought. _I only know how to move with her. She feeds me the steps with her body, her smile, her eyes. She makes me feel…_he shook his head. "Yeah, well, she's my partner."

"I'm your date," the redhead returned.

Elliot turned his head, looked at Olivia, and said, "Don't remind me." He sighed as he started watching her again. The way her hand slowly moved up and down her date's arm, the way her fingers traced the hem of his cuff, toyed with his cufflink. She was making love to his suit jacket, and God damn it, he was getting hot just thinking about what that man's arm must be feeling.

"Elliot!" the redhead's nasal shout pierced the air. "Are you going to pay some attention to me, or are you going to stare at her all night? Clearly, she doesn't want you!"

Elliot chuckled. "You don't know how wrong you are," he said, still staring at his beloved partner as she took the man's hand, led him to the dance floor, and let one hand linger on the small of his back as he swayed her around aimlessly. "He has no rhythm," Elliot scoffed.

He watched as the man's hands wrapped around her waist, and as they moved up and down her back, he felt every nerve in his body prepare for a fight. He was waiting, watching, for his cue. He narrowed his eyes when the man's right hand swept lightly over the curve of her ass and that's when he moved.

"Excuse me," he said, pulling the woman he loved out of another man's arms. "We need to talk, Olivia."

The man, her date, folded his arms. "You have balls, Stabler," he hissed. "We were in the middle of…"

"Yeah, and now you're not," Elliot spat, pulling Olivia off of the dance floor. He heard her give a soft, satisfied, victorious chuckle, and he rolled his eyes. He dragged her toward the door, pushed it open, and yanked her through it.

He kept walking, guiding her to a vacant room, and once inside, he turned on her and glared. "Are you finished?"

"No," she said. "Not at all. I'm having a great time, and I will go back in there and…"

"With me," he interrupted. "You go back in there, you're going back in with me. I don't…God, I can't stand to watch him putting his hands all over you, and the way you're looking at him…do you have any idea how nauseous that's making me?"

Olivia tilted her head. "Yes, actually. That's how I felt for eight of the nine years I've known you, watching you with…oh, yeah…your wife!"

"I don't have a wife anymore, in case you forgot," he yelled.

"It took you almost a year after she left to tell me how you felt, Elliot!" she yelled back. "I got tired of hoping, and tired of waiting, so I moved on! Jesus! Did you really expect me to wait for you until you decided you were ready? Did you expect me to drop everything and everyone the minute you told me you had feelings for me?"

"Yes!" he shouted. "As a matter a fact, I did! That's what people in love do, Olivia!"

"Oh, you arrogant, self-serving mother…" She couldn't finish her harsh insult. His lips had crashed into hers and his tongue had invaded her mouth unabashedly, making it impossible to think, let alone speak.

He pulled away from her, his chest heaving in fear, anger, and arousal. "Tell me you didn't feel anything, tell me you hated that, and I will let you go back in there and dance with that loser."

She was looking into his eyes, her breathing almost as hard as his. She waited a long moment, the tensest few seconds of her life as her brain and heart worked to come to a mutual decision. She whimpered a bit as she hurled herself toward him, clutching at his tie, pulling at his shirt.

"Oh, God," he garbled into her frantic kissing as he put his hands on her legs, pushing her dress up over her ass. He grabbed her panties and yanked, not caring that he'd destroyed them and left an angry red mark on her right hip. He only cared that they were now off. "Liv," he moaned, his hands returning to her body and slipping between her legs.

She groaned, her voice gravelly and glorious as she worked his pants down around his hips.

He pushed her into the wall, pressing his body against hers, making her his prisoner. His lips attacked hers, then moved to the side of her neck. He kissed and bit and sucked, making her cry his name in a way he'd only ever dreamed about. His fingers had been trickling up and down her slit, and he was pleased to find the incredible amount of wetness that was waiting for him.

Two fingers pushed into her roughly, and she yelped into his mouth. This was definitely not going to be gentle, and she moaned at that realization. "Elliot," she purred as he worked her into a tizzy with his strong, magical fingers.

"Baby," he mumbled as his mouth left a rainbow of blues and purples on her neck. He thrust his fingers in, twisted and wiggled them, pulled them out, then repeated. Over and over, faster and faster. He felt her body going rigid, felt her fingers curling and her nails digging into his back. She was close, so fucking close.

She moaned, her eyes rolled back far into her sockets. "Oh, my God," she sighed, close to shaking. She right herself when she felt him moving, and she looked at him, watching him slither down her body.

His tongue met his fingers. His lips closed around her hardened, swollen, clit. His hands cupped her bottom, holding her in place as he feasted upon her, gnawing on her tender flesh and sucking hard on the sensitive bud he'd discovered.

Her hands flew to the back of his head, caressing, scratching his scalp, and her hips rolled, forcing him to press harder, suck harder. "Fuck, Elliot," she seethed, trying not to let go, trying to make him work for it.

He chuckled, from low in his body, and he pulled his face back. He dropped soft kisses to her skin there and he licked his lips as he rose to his feet, slipping his fingers out of her. "Stop me," he dared, pulling at her knees, lifting them up as she was pressed further into the wall. "Liv, baby, if you don't want this to happen, right here, right now, you need to stop me."

She smirked. She wrapped a hand around the back of his neck, and she pulled his face toward hers. "You're scared, too," she assumed.

He let out a hard laugh, just a single puff of audible air, and he nodded. He pressed his lips to hers as he pushed his way inside of her, the feelings rushing through his body amazing him. He let a long, low, noise escape his throat and pass through their connected lips as he began to move.

She whimpered and winced for the first few moments, she wasn't used to his size or his girth at all and was trying to will herself to adjust fast. "Elliot," she murmured into his mouth. "Oh, Elliot. What are we…"

"Don't," he breathed. "Don't think about it." He kissed her, then he watched her eyes, handing onto them, refusing to look away, or let her do it. He moved as deeply as he could, loving as much of her as he possibly could, but it was not enough. He wrapped her in his arms and pulled her away from the wall. He moved carefully to the floor, reaching with one hand for his suit jacket and putting it under her head before she hit the ground.

She was touched. She was filled with an unfamiliar emotion, knowing this meant something to him. Knowing this was more than just sex in an empty hotel room during the Policemen's Ball. She shivered underneath him, part cold, part nerves, part mini-orgasm. "El," she whispered.

He looked down at her longingly, tilted his head, and caressed her cheek lightly. "My Liv," he said softly. "Mine."

She smiled, feeling him pushing deeper into her, stretching her and touching parts of her she didn't know were there. Her head dipped back and he latched onto her neck again, moving as he sucked on her. "God," she moaned. "Oh, God," she cried louder. Her breathing quickened and her body went rigid faster than it ever had. Her body burned and tingled and she was gone, closing her eyes, crying his name, and letting go for him, because of him.

"Fucking hell, baby," he spat, ripping his lips from her neck as she clamped tight around him, almost painfully but causing way too much pleasure for pain to be felt. He pulled as hard he could, trying to keep going, praying for this to last, but she released and clenched, almost pulsing. Another moment and he knew there was nothing he could do. "Shit, Liv, I…" he grunted, spilling into her, freezing as he buried himself completely, fully inside of her, so close to her.

She opened her eyes and he was right there. Real. In her. Gazing into her eyes. She couldn't stop the smile. "That was…"

"I love you." He interrupted her before she could say it was a mistake, that she was sorry, that she needed him to get up.

She blinked.

"I should have told you long ago," he said. "I don't know why I waited so long. Too long. Baby, I was just…I thought you'd…I didn't want…"

"I love you, too, El," she assured him, stopping his panicked thoughts. "No matter what I did, or who I was with, I couldn't stop loving you." A tear rolled down her cheek and she sniffled.

"Don't cry," he whispered, kissing the rolling, salty droplet away.

She smiled at him. "They're happy tears," she promised.

"Hey," he said, nudging her nose a bit, "By the way, Happy Valentine's Day, baby."

She chuckled as he pulled her body again, rolling them over on the floor. She looked down at him, then, and she kissed him. "You do realize we left our dates in there alone, for…God, an hour."

Elliot shrugged. "Do you really even care?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I don't." She kissed him again, hoping she could continue not caring for a little while longer.

**A/N: I don't know what that was. I'm sorry? Tomorrow – lessons in romance from Elliot Stabler. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	10. Love is Little Things

**A/N: Advice from father to son, overheard by someone else entirely.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler©**

"Dad," Dickie called, walking into his father's bedroom without knocking. "I need help."

Elliot turned, two ties in his hands, trying to decide between them. "Me first," he said. He held up the ties and raised an eyebrow.

Dickie slapped the solid red one. "If you show up with little hearts anywhere on you, she'll hurt you."

Elliot laughed, tossed the black and red heart-dotted tie back into his closet, and started to tie the red one around his neck. "What's your problem?"

Dickie sighed. "I don't know how to do this, Dad. It's...you know I've been hanging out with Amanda a lot, for a long time, but this is my first real date, and I know I'm gonna blow it."

Elliot tugged the knot tight, then sat down beside his son. "I guess we're in the same boat. This is my first date, too. Well, since I took your mother to the junior prom." He laughed and said, "But I can give you some of advice. Not about dating, but about...loving her the right way."

Dickie raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

"Now, uh, this is considering she's still with you after tonight," Elliot said with a smirk.

"Not helping, Dad." Dickie folded his arms.

Elliot chuckled. "Here it is. Don't let the fear of being in love with her prevent you from doing it. The fear that you feel, that's how you know it's real. Accept it, and push through it. Ya know, it'll make the two of you a lot stronger."

Dickie nodded. "Don't freak out, got it, Next?"

"Pay attention to her. Watch her carefully, figure out her nervous habits, her quirks, her favorite things and things she doesn't like. You never wanna be that guy who unintentionally brings her flowers she's allergic to, or takes her to El Mexicana if she hates spicy food."

"Don't be an idiot, check," Dickie said, biting his lip, trying to remember everything. "Continue, Obi Won."

"Ah, young Jedi, patience," Elliot said, holding up a finger. "Let's see, uh...oh! Don't wait for special occasions or anniversaries to give her little things like flowers or a box of chocolate or her favorite perfume. Those things should happen whenever the urge hits. If you wake up in the morning and you're thinking about her, get her something. Cup of coffee, maybe. If it's the middle of the day and you're thinking about her, stop at one of those vendors and get her a flower, a rose or something. It shouldn't be a chore or something you need to remember to do."

Dickie furrowed his brow. "Coffee, Dad?"

Elliot went on. "When those special days do roll around, then you can blow her away completely. You know all about her, so wear her favorite color, take her to her favorite place, and let her get whatever she wants. That's what she deserves."

Dickie shook his head. "She deserves...are we still taking about me and Amanda?"

Elliot, in his own world with a goofy smile on his face, said, "Don't ever go a single day without telling her how you feel. It should come easy to you, naturally. She should know you love her as soon as you figure out that you do, you shouldn't have to be prodded or forced to say it. And you don't always have to use the L-word, kid, ya know. Over time, you develop your own language where something as simple as 'can I borrow your pen' is also an 'I love you."

"Dad, I'm...I'm kind of lost here. I mean...do I kiss her tonight or not? Would telling her I like hair make me sound stupid? You're really...you stopped helping me a while ago. I lost you at the coffee."

Elliot blinked. "Oh, right, uh...kissing. You, uh, you want to kiss her. But the moment...the moment you know it's right is when you_ need_ to kiss her. When you feel like you're going to explode if you don't kiss her. When you can't look anywhere else but at her lips, when your brain shuts off and you can't breathe and you can feel your heart pounding. That's when you kiss her."

"Wow, all of that's gonna happen to me? No one said anything about sudden brain death in sex-ed class!" Dickie shook his head in surprise.

"If you really have feelings for her, strong ones, you're gonna feel all of that and more, kiddo." Elliot patted his son's shoulder. "As for that bit about sounding stupid if you say you like her hair, bud, you won't. Women love it when you notice little things about them. It makes them realize that you're really paying attention, and you get it. I can't tell you what to say, but I can tell you to be honest. Look at her, look at everything about her, and if you notice something that hits you a certain way, tell her, and don't be embarrassed about saying it. Never be embarrassed about complimenting the one you love."

Dickie tilted his head. "You're good at this, Dad. If you were doing all of this, getting everything right, then why...why did Mom leave?"

Elliot looked away from his son and his smile faded. "Well, uh, sometimes...what happens once in a while is..."

"You didn't do any of that with Mom," Dickie said, realizing. "You were talking about..."

"Yeah," Elliot said. "It's not that I didn't love your mother, Dickie, I did. So much. It's just...I was so young, and so naive, and so scared. We got thrown into a situation where things were just expected and forced and nothing came easy." He took a deep breath and said, "When she left, I...I let the feelings and thoughts I'd been having for...her...sink in. I let myself feel them, and think them, and that's when the little things started. Noticing everything about her, getting her coffee and flowers and things she loves without a real reason." He shrugged. "It was just the first time in my life things really started to come easily, and the first time nothing felt forced for me. I was doing it all because I wanted to, and not because I was expected to," he said.

"Wow, Dad," Dickie said, a smile on his face. "How long was that going on?"

Elliot laughed. "The, uh, the coffee started almost as soon as I met her," he said. "It just started to mean something else. Then...everything fell into place and started clicking for me when your mom moved out. When I was more lost and confused than I'd ever been, she was the one who made everything so clear again. She, uh, she found me, I guess."

Dickie got off of the bed and leaned over, giving his father a manly hug. "Took you long enough to get a first date with her, Dad," he teased, slapping his dad's arm.

Elliot laughed. "Some things are worth the wait." He smiled, then looked at his son with wider eyes. "Wait! Dickie, some things are very much worth waiting a very long time for, so if you..."

"Chill, Dad!" Dickie said, laughing. "I'm gonna break out into a cold sweat trying to hold her hand, I'm not ready for, uh, that. But when I am, I will tell you, and I will expect a talk, very much like this one, and I promise to listen without laughing or throwing up."

Elliot laughed and stood up, too. "Good," he said, nodding. "That's...that's very good."

"Thanks, Dad," Dickie said. He smiled again at his father and he walked out of the bedroom.

Elliot sighed, then shook his head as he walked back over to the closet. He pulled his suit jacket off of the hanger and he chuckled when he heard footsteps coming back into the room. "Relax, Dickie. It's just a movie with the same girl you've been hanging out and playing video games with. It's not..."

"El," a voice interrupted.

Elliot turned, and his eyes softened as much as his smile did. "What are you doing here?" he asked, looking over her body. "You look...God, you look beautiful."

She took a step forward and tugged lightly on his tie. "Thank God he talked you out of the hearts," she laughed.

He chuckled and shook his head. "How did...you were out there? Just...listening?"

She shrugged. "I figured making you drive all the way to my apartment just to come back here after we go to dinner, than making you drive me all the way back would be..."

"Liv," he interrupted, smiling. He knew she was lying.

She smirked. "I just couldn't wait. I've been ready since four, so I figured I'd come by early. Sorry."

"Never be sorry," he said, turning more fully facing her. He let his hand drift over her hip and rest on her lower back. "This is...you look absolutely stunning. I've always loved this color on you."

She chuckled. "An honest compliment, huh?"

"See, now this isn't fair. You know all of my little tricks," he said, leaning in closer. He felt his heart starting to pound, he was staring at her lips.

"But they're not really tricks," she said, her eyes moving down his face. "You mean everything you do, it's all genuine. I needed to know that, and now I do. El, I..."

"I love you, Liv," he whispered, his eyes darting from her lips to her eyes. "I know I...I tell you everyday, but this is the first time we've both been off work early, and not too exhausted to leave the couch, and I wanted to tell you again before we did this. An actual date. Because this is my first real date in a long time and I think I'm gonna blow it." His eyes dropped to her lips again.

"Kiss me," she whispered, looking at his.

He smirked and pulled her into his arms, pressing his lips to hers. He moaned softly as she parted her lips slightly and a small gasp escaped.

He pressed his tongue lightly between her lips, and she opened to him, deepening the kiss, holding him tighter. He let out another soft moan as they led and followed each other in a suddenly familiar dance.

She pulled away from him, missing the taste of him almost immediately. "You're not gonna blow it, El. This is already the best date I've ever been on, and it hasn't even started yet."

He laughed and moved his left hand down her body, linking his fingers with hers. "Good," he said. "That's what I was going for." He reached over to the dresser and pulled a single, red rose out from behind a large picture frame. He held it out to her and said, "Happy Valentine's Day, Liv."

She laughed and sniffed the flower, and she said, "Happy Valentine's Day." She let him pull her toward the bedroom door, and just as they reached the hallway she said, "Oh, and El?"

He turned to her, his smile broad and his eyes bright. "Yeah, baby?"

She smiled, stepped toward him, and kissed him. "I love you, too."

**A/N: Father-son chats are always so much fun. Tomorrow: A proposal. An out-of-the-blue-totally-unexpected proposal. Will the askee accept? Review here or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	11. Love is a Surprise

**A/N: Sometimes it's out of the blue, but it's always love.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and Characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler**

Elliot walked into the squad room, nervous and sweaty. He usually loved Valentine's Day, but this year was different. Special.

He looked over at Olivia, who was standing in the back and talking to Cragen and IAB about the case they'd spent all week working. He had dreams about her and everything they'd said and done since they got back on Saturday, and he discovered new things about her and himself that he couldn't forget now.

He watched her nodding, speaking, and he couldn't help the feelings surging through his body. He had been trying to convince himself that everything that had happened during their op was an act, not real, but he was failing. He knew in his heart that every smile, every kiss, and every touch was real. He felt it in his bones. There was nothing he could do to keep himself from doing what he was about to do, and he feared it would blow up in his face.

He reached into his pocket and grabbed the small thing inside, rolling at around, realizing that it, too, was very real. He watched her shake Ed Tucker's hand, watched her lightly smile at Cragen, and he watched her move toward him. He froze as she sauntered over.

"Case is officially closed," she said. "I could have used your help on the paperwork. I had to leave some things out, obviously, but everything important was there. Where the hell have you been?"

He blinked. "Sorry, what?"

She tilted her head. "You don't look so good. Are you all right?"

He swallowed back hard, took a breath, and said, "I will be. I hope. Uh, what are you…what are you doing tonight?"

"Tonight?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Her heart gave a thud.

"Yeah, uh, Valentine's Day. Tonight." He looked into her eyes, praying she would say she was free, but knowing full well she had a date.

"I have a date," she said. "Why? What's up?"

He took a step toward her and his eyes narrowed as both his heart and voice cracked. "Cancel it, Liv. Please, just…" he stopped speaking and he grabbed her hand. He pulled her out of the bullpen, down the hall, and up the stairs to the roof.

"What are you doing, El?" she asked, her voice smacking of annoyance.

He shook his head, pushed the door opened, and said, "I have no idea. Just…just hear me out, okay?"

She stepped out onto the roof and shivered slightly. "Make it fast, it's freezing."

He stepped toward her, wrapped his arms around her, and he asked, "Better?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What in God's name are you doing?"

He took another breath. "This whole week…"

"Was an undercover case, Elliot," she snapped, pulling out of his arms. "It's over. Back to normal. No more pretend."

"I'm not pretending!" he yelled. He scared her a bit. He dropped his eyes and softened his voice. "I'm not pretending. I don't think I ever was. And God, Liv, you weren't either."  
She swallowed and blink and said, "You have lost your mind. That's…look, El, it's over. I'm sorry, but…"

"Liv," he interrupted, taking her hands again. "Look at me. Every time you looked at me you smiled. Your eyes lit up, and you melted my heart. You can't fake that. You love me, I know you do. What we have…"

She shook her head and tried unsuccessfully to pull her hands away from him. "What we have? Elliot, you're talking…"

"We have something, Liv," he interrupted again. "Don't tell me we don't. When we kissed that first time…yeah, we were baiting some psycho who was supposed to try to attack you, but, baby, it was real. Every single time after that, it was real. I felt it, you felt it, and I don't wanna let those feelings go."

She finally looked into his eyes. "You're serious," she said, her whole body shaking from cold and nerves.

He pulled her closer, warming her but making her more nervous, and he said, "I am. I am very serious." He let one of her hands go, and he reached into his pocket. "Calling you my wife, Liv, it felt right. Everything about it felt right. Even when we were alone, just hanging out together in the hotel room, it felt perfect." He pulled his hand out of his pocket, his fist clenched tight.

She smiled and let out a soft, sad, chuckle. "It was nice," she whispered. "Very nice."

"Liv, we…that last night, you and I both know we took it too far, but it was because we wanted to, right?" he asked, referring to a night they made the fantasy too real. "That night was the single, most amazing night of my life."

She blushed slightly and she looked away from him. "Can we just forget…"

"I'm trying to tell you," he interrupted yet again, "That I don't want to forget. In fact, I want to remember it for the rest of my life. I want to relive it over and over again, Liv." He held out his hand and uncurled his fingers. "I don't want to pretend to be your husband, Liv."

She gasped. Her free hand closed over her mouth as her other squeezed his hand.

"I want to make it real," he whispered. "More real than I think we're ready for, but after all this time, if we don't know each other well enough to make this decision, then there's something wrong."

She blinked and looked away from the ring in his palm to his eyes. "Are you asking me to…"

"Yes," he said with a nod. "Marry me, Liv. We know this is what we both want. I know it's crazy, and I know you…you were…"

"Elliot, I can't," she said, stopping him. "This is nuts. You're getting over a divorce, we took things too far, you're confused, and…"

He shook his head, pressed a finger to her lips, and held her gaze. "I'm not confused," he said. "I'm not on the rebound, I swear. I think I…no, I know I fell in love with you a long time ago. It took us letting ourselves go the way we did to push me to tell you. To do this. I know it's out of nowhere and…"

"You don't wanna marry me," she said, shaking her head. "You don't know what I'm like. I'm damaged, El. I can't cook, I can't clean, I can't even make it passed a third date with a guy and you want a whole lifetime. You…you're my best friend, El. This is only going to end with heartache," she told him.

He brushed his thumb under her right eye, swiping at a tear. "I'm not asking you to cook, we'll work on the cleaning together, and no one said anything about dating. I do want a whole lifetime with you, Liv. A lifetime and then some. You are my best friend, too. You're there for me, always, when no one else is. You give me strength, and you comfort me, and you and I know more about each other than married couples ever do, so this is already…what's gonna change if you put this ring on your finger?"

"Everything," she said, her voice breaking.

He shook his head. "Nothing," he whispered. "The only thing we would be doing here is taking what we already have, which is the most amazing relationship in the world, to the next level. Making it permanent. You never have to worry about me leaving, or anyone ever breaking your heart again. I will never have to worry about what I would do if I woke up and you weren't there."

She was shivering again, scared to death. "Why are you doing this?"

He smiled at her, pulled her tighter against him, "Because I love you. I've loved you almost as long as I've known you, and now I'm in love with you. I need you, Liv." He moved closer, bending his head. "You need me, too," he whispered against her lips.

She caved, she whimpered as her head bent forward, and she pressed her lips to his. She slid her hand into his palm and she felt him move his hand, sliding the ring over her finger. She moaned lightly as he kissed her harder, deeper, and moved his other hand around to her back, pressing her tight against him.

He pulled away, sniffling. He was crying the happiest of tears. He looked at her and he saw her crying, too. He saw years of unexpressed emotion coming to a head, mixing with fear and uncertainty as she looked down at her new, sparkling ring. He pressed his lips to hers again and said, "So, you'll marry me, then?"

She let out a hard but short laugh through her tears. "Yes," she whispered. "As long as you won't regret this in the morning."

"I don't regret anything when it comes to you, Liv," he said, making sure she understood what she meant. "You know what this means, though, right?"

She laughed again as she nodded. "I have to cancel my date."

He chuckled, kissed her , and said, "Yes, you do. You already have plans with your fiancée and his kids."

She looked down at the ring again, and she let out a deep sigh. "How are we gonna explain this without telling anyone what really happened last week?"

"We just tell them, uh, we're really getting into the spirit of Valentine's Day," he laughed. He took her hand, kissed her again, and led her slowly down the stairs into an uncertain future, but certain they were heading into it together.

**A/N: Crazy, no? Tomorrow is the final day for this series, and it's gonna be B-E-A-UTIFUL. I hope ;) Review here, or on Twitter. TMG212**


	12. Love is Beautiful

**A/N: Love really is beautiful.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. Tstabler © own this story.**

Sitting in traffic, tapping on the steering wheel impatiently, he couldn't think about anything but her. The way her eyes lit up and crinkled just a bit in the corners when she laughed, the way her lips parted and curled when she smiled, even the way she cried was beautiful.

Not that he'd seen her cry often, but when he did, it was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. Truly letting go of all of her emotions and inhibitions around him, she cried in his arms. And though he wanted nothing more than to make her pain go away, stop the tears and the grief, he had to marvel at how beautiful she looked when she let go.

He smiled as the traffic moved a bit, and he let the car roll forward as he thought of the first time he'd seen her in a dress.

She hadn't been dressed up for him, or for any even he was attending. She was dressed for a date, and she wore something revealing but classy. He remembered exactly where the hem of the dress hit, just above the knee, and he remembered how she wore her hair, short with a bit of a flip on the ends and a small, sparkling clip in the side.

He laughed, recalling her reaction to the compliment he'd given her. She rolled her eyes when he told her she looked beautiful, and nothing he did convinced her he was being honest.

His smile faded into something more menacing when he remembered her shoes, though. Black heels, something she'd never wear to work unless they had to be in court, and he couldn't help but think about what she would look like in the morning, looking for them on the floor of his bedroom, wrapped in a sheet.

That was when he was married.

That was when it was wrong.

He shook his head and drove through the toll, and suddenly he was hit with another memory. She was in sweats, an old band tee-shirt, and sneakers with her hair in a ponytail. She was in his back yard, teaching his son how to throw a fast ball.

He remembered watching from the kitchen as he absent-mindedly helped his then wife wash dishes. He recalled her trying to tell him something, something about how he had been distant and combative, but he wasn't paying attention.

He was watching his son and the woman of his dreams, and he remembered thinking that even in mud-covered sweatpants and a shirt that would be too big even on him, she looked beautiful.

He punched the gas as soon as the traffic cleared, and he took a deep breath as he headed into the heart of the city, turning down the avenue to Herald Square. He spotted something in the window of a store and he smiled. She would look beautiful in that, he thought.

Then again, he had long ago decided that she would look beautiful in anything.

He turned down her street and checked the clock on his car radio. He hoped she wouldn't kill him, or at least make it quick and painless, when she realized he had turned her alarm off the night before, after switching around shifts and making unkeepable promises to get this particular day off.

He parked in front of her building, turned off the car, and sighed, looking at the door. This was it, he thought, the day that would change everything. He took another deep breath, calming himself down, and he grabbed the bag off of the passenger seat.

He walked quickly up the steps, pushed open the door, and he nodded to the doorman with a small, nervous smile. He ran up the stairs to her floor, and he stopped in front of her door for a moment. Another sigh, and his key to her place was not only in his hand, but in the lock.

He twisted the knob and pushed into her apartment, letting the heavy door shut with a soft click. He toed off his shoes, carefully avoiding making any noise that might wake up his Sleeping Beauty. He padded into the kitchen and placed the bag on the counter, taking out the bread and the eggs, the small glass vase with the single rose in it, and the tiny, black, velvet box that held the only thing standing between him and a future with the only woman with whom he'd ever really connected.

He moved quickly and quietly, making the French toast on a low flame so the sizzle wouldn't be heard beyond the kitchen.

He flipped it like a pro, and when it was perfectly browned he slid it onto a plate, then put the plate onto a tray. He cleared his throat and put the vase on the platter beside the food, and then he lifted the ring box into his hand.

He looked at it, almost as he looked at a perp in interrogation. "Do your fucking job," he hissed at the thing, flipping it open. He took the shiny diamond out of its shell, and he slid the rose through the ring before putting it in the narrow-topped vase. The ring hit the lip of the glass, winking at him, letting him know this was going to go as he'd planned.

He lifted the whole try into his hands and he walked slowly and carefully toward her bedroom. He balanced the food on his hip as he turned her doorknob, and when he walked into the room he gasped.

She was sound asleep, a smile on her face as the sunlight hit her skin just barely through the partly opened curtains. The quilt was draped over her body, but she wasn't tucked in, and her arms were wrapped tightly around what had become his pillow on most nights.

She was cuddling with him, even when he wasn't there. He smiled softly and walked over to his side of the bed, placed the tray on the mattress beside him, and leaned over.

He kissed her cheek softly, and he didn't pull away fully, swiping his lips over her skin. "Liv," he whispered.

She let out a quiet moan of protest, clearly enjoying the dream she was having.

He kissed her again with a soft laugh. "Come on sleepyhead, you've already slept later than you have in years," he whispered, placing his lips delicately over hers.

Her eyes fluttered opened, and she squinted at him. "What are you…oh, shit!" She sat up quickly and looked for the clock. "Nine-thirty! Damn it, Elliot, why didn't you call me sooner?"

"Calm down," he said, resting his hands on her shoulders. "You're not late, baby. It's okay."

She looked confused. "How am I not…"

"You're not going to work today," he interrupted. "I'm not either." He kissed her, calming her down, and he lifted the tray over her chest. "Happy Valentine's Day."

She took a moment to look at the food and then at him. "You did this, because it's Valentine's Day?"

He nodded with a smile. "We have the whole day to ourselves, I thought maybe we'd snuggle up on the couch, watch a movie, I could help you pack, it'd be a…"

"Wait, pack?" she asked, furrowing her brow as she lifted up the fork. "Why would I need to pack?"

He took the fork out of her hand, cut the corner of a slice of the French toast, and jabbed it. He held it to her lips and smiled when she ate it. "Because you're moving in with me and the kids."

"I am?" she said, chewing.

He nodded, his fingers moving to the rose. He flicked it, making the ring clink against the lip of the vase, and he said, "Yeah. You are."

She chuckled as she shook her head and looked down at the flower. "El, this was so sweet of you. And that rose is really…"

He smirked, knowing she saw the ring. He studied her face, saw the hands move slowly over the petals and down the stem, gliding over the diamond. "Liv," he whispered, reaching for the flower.

"Yeah?" she whispered in return, moving her eyes to meet his.

He let the ring slide down the stem of the rose into his hand, and he held the ring out to her. "You knew this was coming, you just didn't know when. I'm asking you now, today, to marry me. Make every single dream and fantasy I have ever had come true, and marry me."

She let her fingers slip over his, feeling the ring beneath her skin, and she swallowed hard. "El, I…you should have warned me about this, I can't…I'm in my pajamas, I look like death, I…"

"You look beautiful," he said, gripping her hand in his. "Baby, just answer the question. Will you marry me?"

She chuckled and she leaned over the French toast to kiss him. "Yes," she whispered against his lips.

"Yes?" he asked, as if he hadn't heard her. "You...you said yes!"

She laughed and kissed him again, then let him push the ring over her knuckle on her shaking finger. "I said yes," she assured.

He kissed her and laughed against her lips. The word spilling from her voice was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. "I love you," he told her, pecking her lightly with fast kisses.

She looked up and smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkling a bit as her lips curled. "I love you, too." She kissed him again and whispered, "Happy Valentine's Day, El."

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, kissing her once again. "Thank you, beautiful."

**A/N: And a BIG Valentine's Day THANK YOU to my BEAUTIFUL readers and reviewers! Without you, I'd be NOTHING! Love you all. Review here or on Twitter: TMG212**


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